Mathematical modeling for thermally treated vacuum-packaged foods: A review on sous vide processing

Background

Consumer dietary awareness drives a need for minimally processed foods with quality sensory and nutritional attributes and extended shelf life. Sous vide cooking techniques are a viable technology for meeting these consumer demands. Sous vide is the process of cooking vacuum-sealed foods in plastic pouches at low temperatures, generally 55–60 °C, for an extended period under strictly controlled conditions. Despite the high-quality, nutritional, and sensory benefits of sous vide cooking, the use of temperatures significantly lower than typical cooking raises microbiological/safety issues for customers.
Scope and approach

This review aims to highlight the numerous mathematical approaches used in modeling the quality and microbial safety of sous vide processed foods, as well as the effects of sous vide processing on texture, physiochemical, and nutritional quality. Sous vide processing has been mathematically modeled in a variety of ways, ranging from totally kinetic or empirical to completely physics-based approaches.
Key findings and conclusions

The emerging picture from this review suggests that mathematical modeling of SV processing has been approached in several ways, from completely kinetic or empirical to completely physics-based approaches to improve sous vide processing technologies in the future. A more general modeling approach, real-time quality evaluation during sous vide processing, and hurdle technology in sous vide are all future areas to investigate in the application of mathematical modeling to improve sous vide processing. There is potential for future applications of mathematical modeling in SV processing to optimize the overall process conditions and the cooking methods for different types of foods and sizes.